54% Of Top Brands On Instagram: Big Deal?

The social media marketing blogosphere is ablaze: according to Simply Measured’s most recent study, 54% of the world’s top brands are on Instagram.

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What does this mean exactly, and is this news as big as the web makes it seem? In this article you will learn about Simply Measured’s findings, and what to do when your brand is about to hop on the Instagram bandwagon.

Back in August, the percentage of Interbrand top 100 brands that had adopted Instagram into their social media arsenal was 40%. That means that, in just 3 months, the amount of brands increased with 35%.

This is remarkable because Instagram is a mobile-only platform with limited advertising possibilities. It can quite possibly be attributed to the fact that Facebook acquired Instagram.

However, this does not imply that every single one of those brands is actively using Instagram. Many even say that having a profile and not being active as a brand is worse than not having a profile at all.

According to Simply Measured’s findings, 49% of brands have posted photos on their profiles, and 34% of brands post at least 1 photo every week. 20% of brands have more than 10,000 followers (this was 17% in August).

MTV is leading the pack with a little over 990,000 followers. Nike, however, seems to be the brand you should look up to, with more likes received while fewer photos posted. So what is Nike’s strong point, according to the study? The fact that they’re not afraid to diversify their content.

It will be hard for every brand to compete with the top 8 brands: they control 92% of the total engagement (likes and comments) with the Interbrand Top 100. However, the fact that top brands are increasingly using Instagram successfully shows that it is a necessary platform to leverage.

If your brand is not present yet, you should create an account today. Instagram’s newly released web profiles give brands an even bigger advantage.

They tell the story of your brand in a simple and sleek way without having to scroll down your page on a phone, and allow you to link to individual photos on Facebook, for example.

So, 54% of the Interbrand Top 100 on Instagram? A big deal indeed. But if you decide to start Instagramming with your brand today, just make sure that you keep your brand profile active, post quality shots, and diversify your content.

Give people an exclusive view of your company. Don’t be intimidated by the fact that followers won’t come over night. If you keep up the good work, make your brand look cool, and engage with the followers you do have, they will come.

Read the entire Simply Measured Instagram study here.
What About About?
Do you think this study will pull brands over the edge to create a profile on Instagram? What do you think is the key to Instagram success for brands?

I believe it’s very important is that you have to understand that, although Instagram is a social network just as any other, brands need to understand the ‘unwritten rules’ that comes along with it. There are certain do’s and dont’s that you have mentioned to me personally before, how I should act as a person.

I’m looking forward to an article from your point of expertise that can help brands to build their brand in a proper way on Instagram. Is that different compared to a personal account? What is best frequency? Shoudl you only use your phone to create content or is it ok to push ‘professional materials’.